Children Song

His highly distinctive trumpet playing and his remarkable achievements as one of the chief architects of New Orleans R&B during the late '40s and early '50s as a producer (notably of Fats Domino) and his prolific song writing attracted a considerable amount of attention. However what is often neglected when discussing his career are his own recordings and this 2CD set from Jasmine attempts to collect together all of these recordings for Imperial records between 1950 and 1962. Features 57 superb slices of early New Orleans R&B with tracks such as 'Jump Children', 'Shrimp and Gumbo', 'Hard Times (The Slop)' 'When The Saints Come Marching In Boogie' and his first version 'Little Girl Sing Ding-A-Ling' which later became a hit for Chuck Berry in 1972.

The duo's best album, and the place to start beyond the hits compilations. Up to the release of A Song for You, the Carpenters' success had seemed an awesome if somewhat fluky phenomenon, built on prodigious talent, some beautifully crafted pop sensibilities, and a very fortunate choice of singles - their albums Close to You and Carpenters, though they were top-sellers, both seemed just a bit thrown together. Then came A Song for You, a seemingly unified concept album written and recorded during a frantic period of concert activity, and brimming with lovely musical ideas even more lovingly executed, laced with good humor, and enough hits of its own to have established any artist's career on its own. And even in between the hits, the album was built on material that could have made a whole career for anyone…

The duo's best album, and the place to start beyond the hits compilations. Up to the release of A Song for You, the Carpenters' success had seemed an awesome if somewhat fluky phenomenon, built on prodigious talent, some beautifully crafted pop sensibilities, and a very fortunate choice of singles - their albums Close to You and Carpenters, though they were top-sellers, both seemed just a bit thrown together. Then came A Song for You, a seemingly unified concept album written and recorded during a frantic period of concert activity, and brimming with lovely musical ideas even more lovingly executed, laced with good humor, and enough hits of its own to have established any artist's career on its own. And even in between the hits, the album was built on material that could have made a whole career for anyone…

With a household that pulsates to the glorious tones of the cello (Isserlis’s son is also a cellist) there’s clearly much material for this volume. The booklet notes manifest an obvious autobiographical vein – Isserlis’s predilection for Romantic Schumanesque items never far from the surface. There are some contemporary compositions, however, including attractive works by Gavin Bryars and Olli Mustonen, as well as imaginative contributions from both Hough and Isserlis. Alongside some lesser-known gems such as the poetic Lulu waltz by Sibelius, we have some well-worn chestnuts by Squire, Bridge, Carse and the fiery and bravura-styled Requiebros by Cassado.

Comus' first album contains an imaginative if elusive brand of experimental folk-rock, with a tense and sometimes distressed vibe. Although there are elements of traditional British folk music, there's an edginess to the songwriting and arrangements that would be entirely alien in a Fairport Convention or Pentangle disc. At times, this straddles the border between folk-rock and the kind of songs you'd expect to be sung at a witches' brew fest, the haunting supernatural atmosphere enhanced by bursts of what sound like a theramin-like …